It’s important to recover effectively. Sleep is good; better sleep is better.
A self-titled nighttime nootropic, Motion Nutrition’s Unplug supplement is the latest in a series of psychologically active supplements. The popularity of, and demand for, nootropics over the last decade is clearly still going strong.
Today we’re going to look at what Motion Nutrition’s offering into the sleep and recovery supplement market can do. We’ll be discussing the essential facts about the product and what we think of it – so let’s stop wasting time and get into it…
About Motion Nutrition Unplug
As mentioned above, this product is billed by Motion Nutrition as a night-time nootropic. This is going to be important since we need to look at the intended use and the intended effects and compare it to what you’re actually getting.
The whole point of this product is to alleviate general anxiety, as well as improving overall sleep quality. So, the main things we’re looking for are stress relief, anxiolytic effects (the ones that reduce anxiety), and anything that improves sleep-induced recovery.
Unplug Supplement Facts
The focus in this supplement is on real food ingredients – which is going to be a selling point if you’re into that sort of thing.
We’ll discuss how that affects the product overall, too, since it seems to be a common factor in the supplement market.
Specifically, here’s what you’re going to get – from the label itself…
See the #1 Rated
– Natural Sleep Aid –
Recommended by Experts
Directions for Use
The point of this product is simple: take two capsules in the evening before bed.
Obviously, this should be combined with the best possible lifestyle factors. This product isn’t going to do anything for you if you’re slamming the capsules down with an energy drink or staring at blue light screens just before bed. The point is to build a relaxing evening ritual around the supplement.
If you can combine this kind of product with a sleep-centric protein supplement like Casein or a plant-based protein, you’re off to a great sleep.
Motion Nutrition Unplug Ingredients
This is the most important question; what’s in this product that’s going to help you reach your goals?
We’re going to look at it ingredient-by-ingredient so we can break down the science behind Motion Nutrition’s Unplug stress-relief and sleep-quality nootropic.
Theanine
This is the star of the show. If you had to take a single ingredient that exemplifies the kind of effects you’re looking for in a night-time nootropic, it has to be theanine.
If this wasn’t in the product, there’d be a huge and obvious hole in its effects. That’s because Theanine is not only the best amino acid for combatting stress and anxiety in the short-term, but also combats the effects of caffeine.
Theanine is directly antagonistic to the bad effects of caffeine; jitters, anxiety, and the effects that are associated with poor sleep. In this way, Theanine is even more effective if you’ve had a long day since it’s going to help you wind down in spite of caffeine use.
Why we love Theanine for Anxiety and Sleep
The ability to counteract the effects of caffeine are great if you’ve had a long day with a ton of coffee or energy drinks (though, of course, your sleep would be improved even further by cutting back on both, especially after 3pm). The caffeine-muting effects also just contribute to better overall health and recovery, since they shift towards the autonomic nervous system.
This is important because it combines effects on the mental and physical sides of anxiety/stress. You can’t separate the two – they interact closely – and theanine can improve recovery of both!
For the sake of anxiety this is good, but especially if you’re supplementing on top of an exercise and lifestyle pattern that requires it. (If your pre-workout contains caffeine, for instance, it’s not always possible to avoid stimulants). Recovery from physical stress is one of the keys to better health and wellbeing, so Theanine is definitely your friend!
In case you hadn’t noticed, we love theanine and this is a great start for Motion Nutrition’s Unplug supplement.
Brahmi
This is an herbal extract, but the kind that actually works. It’s a compound that is well known to improve cognitive performance by specifically reducing anxiety.
This is the exact kind of thing you want to see in a night-time nootropic; a type of calm focus that reduces overall stress. It’s a contributor to the total anxiolytic effects of the product and it’s nice to see a ‘natural herbal extract’ that has science proving that it works.
The only thing we could say about this compound is that it’s fat-soluble so what you need to do is eat with it. This means that a night-time shake with casein and a fat source (ideally a polyunsaturated fat) would be a great choice.
Get your coconut milk out, it’s time for some quality recovery gains and improved mental health.
Ashwagandha
This is often used in supplements without much actual need for it – but this isn’t one of those times. The use of Ashwagandha here is perfect; it’s a compound that has the dual effects of fighting psychological and mental stress.
The herb and its extracts are great for combatting psychological stress and anxiety. This is one of the reasons why ashwagandha is so popular in traditional medicines and it’s an effect that is verified by the science.
Equally, the adaptogen content is protective against stressors. This makes for a great anti-stress and supports the physical recovery processes around sleep, as well as protecting you from daily stressors.
Great choice, and great to see a clear design philosophy behind this product.
Montmorency cherry
Montmorency tart cherries are one of the most abundant sources of natural melatonin, the ‘sleep hormone’, found in nature. Melatonin tells your body when it’s time to sleep, but its natural production can be hampered by numerous factors – blue light, such as from telephones and laptops, being a main cause. Supplementation, therefore, is useful to get your body clock back on the right track.
Tart cherries are also going to contribute to general antioxidant effects, as well as a general improvement to restful sleep.
One of the cool additions is a low-level anxiety and pain reduction. It’s totally possible that these are combined in their effects (or come from the same effect), but the result is a cool duo.
This makes for a quality compound if you’re dealing with some chronic aches and pains, as well as being a great synergist. The combined effects of the cherries with the benefits of ashwagandha/theanine are pretty cool.
Another quality natural anti-anxiety, pro-sleep compound. That’s 4/4 for Unplug so far!
Magnesium and Zinc
These are two ingredients, but we’re discussing them together. Because they play together in most sleep supplements – and because we want to.
Zinc and Magnesium are the key components in the classic ZMA supplement, paired with B6. They’re well regarded because they’re both important metabolic compounds, and magnesium is one of the most commonly-deficient minerals.
Getting both of these together doesn’t have any sleep superpowers like they thought in the 80s, but it does help you get your magnesium and zinc in all at once. This is a great supplementary benefit.
Minerals aren’t going to directly improve your sleep or fight anxiety, but they combat deficiency and put you closer to optimal levels. That’s always good – physically and mentally.
Rhodiola Rosea
This isn’t specifically an anxiety or sleep ingredient, but it does seem to make sense in the context of the ingredients list.
Rhodiola has two key roles we want to think about: it’s adaptogenic, and it could be protective of your cognitive and mental health.
Adaptogens are the compounds we mentioned above, and they protect you from metabolic stress and fatigue. They’re useful overall and they’re going to help you if you’re struggling with stress and tiredness.
On the other hand, some of the evidence says that Rhodiola protects your brain. Again, this could be from the adaptogens, but the end result is cognitive and neurological protection – awesome for wellbeing and longevity.
Rhodiola is pretty cool. It’s become popular for some pretty over-hyped effects, but the role it plays in this product is great.
Amla
This is the ingredient that doesn’t really do much. Most supplements on the market have one, and this is the least important/useful for Unplug.
It has some prospective benefits; it seems to be useful for its antioxidant effects, blood sugar control and may improve cholesterol. Amla can be useful for these purposes – we like them – but the actual goal of the product doesn’t benefit much.
Amla might not improve your sleep, but it’s a decent enough choice. We’d rather see something like blueberry extract here, because it’s cooler, but Amla is better than nothing.
Piperine
Nothing you eat matters if you don’t absorb it (except for fiber).
The point of Piperine is to maximize the amount of absorption. It offers a great way of maximizing benefits without increasing dosages or burning through your supply of Unplug.
We do really like Piperine and the inclusion here is fantastic – especially with compounds like Brahmi which need the boost. This makes total sense in the context of the product and it constitutes a huge bonus for your results.
Iodine
This is an essential mineral but it’s also one that you’re probably not deficient in. However, supplementation is pretty cool, and it can contribute to proper fat metabolism, and deficiency could be a real problem for your sleep.
You’re not likely to be at huge risk with Iodine deficiency since it’s added to many foods. However, it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your nutrition!
See the #1 Rated
– Natural Sleep Aid –
Recommended by Experts
Formula Analysis: Does it Work?
Yes, it does. And pretty well!
We’ve covered a fair few sleep and ant-anxiety supplements, so we have a lot to compare this product against. It ticks all the boxes for a good anti-anxiety, pro-sleep supplement – and even for a night-time nootropic.
The description that Motion gave of their product stands up. It will be likely to quell anxiety and contribute to better sleep, as well as general relaxation benefits. Theanine is great, the mixture of traditional medicines is well chosen, and the only thing we’d really change is the Amla for something more useful.
We like this product and – while it has some things we’d tweak – it’s a good overall choice. We think it’s a good product overall and it performs well for an ‘economy’ product.
Unplug Benefits
The main benefits from this product are going to be the ones that it claims; improved anxiety control, sleep quality, de-stressing, and sleep-induced recovery.
These are effective and holistic since they cover both the mental and physical aspects of your wellbeing. Overall, you’re going to feel more relaxed in the evening and more refreshed in the morning.
Who Takes It?
The intention of this product was for general use and we really do think it’s successful. It’s a product that anyone can benefit from; we all have stress and anxiety to manage, and it works perfectly well for the athlete, CEO, and average joe.
Whether you’ve got tons of stress in exercise, tons of work stress, or a pretty medium amount of either, you’ll benefit from Unplug. Sleep and anxiety impact so many areas of your life that something like Unplug can make a big difference at very little cost, whatever your specific needs.
Sleep is good for us all – and better sleep makes for a better quality of life in dozens of ways.
Any Side Effects?
There really shouldn’t be any significant side effects with this product, with the exception of individual intolerances.
The product is made responsibly and with the correct kind of assurances; it’s vegan, caffeine-free, gluten-free, and the like. They make a big deal of ‘no synthetic or novel’ substances, but that has nothing to do with nutrition or health but could fit the principles of your own diet.
Check with your doctor if you know you already have conditions that might affect the use of supplements. Otherwise, you should be fine!
See the #1 Rated
– Natural Sleep Aid –
Recommended by Experts
Unplug Summary
Pros:
- Good ingredient choice
- Some great synergies and overall design
- “Natural” for whatever that counts
Cons:
- Natural doesn’t actually have a definition
- Amla could be something better – like blueberry extract
Unplug Price & Buying Info
This is a good product when considering that the cost is pretty low. The best choice is to go direct, since that’s where you’re going to get the best deals – and there are often 15% off deals on the Motion website.
The economy of this product is great considering you’re going to get a month’s supply for $30 on average.
The results are good, the pricing is pretty great. Overall, we like it and we think it’s a great balance – especially if this is your first foray into anti-anxiety/sleep supplements.
Final Word on Motion Nutrition Unplug
This is a great mid-level sleep and anxiety supplement. It’s going to bring out fantastic results at a great price. It’s not the most comprehensive product – it doesn’t do everything we want from this kind of supplement – but it does the most important things well.
With the combination of the price and the thoughtful design of this product, it’s a winner for us.
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